Since the financial crash, jobs have held a top spot in public discussion. But among all the employment talk, one sector of the workforce has consistently received relatively little attention: interns.<\/p>\n
In the past few decades, the number of internships in the United States has ballooned. One recent study found that just over half of graduating college seniors had held some sort of internship. That\u2019s more than double the rate another study found two decades ago.<\/p>\n
But legal protection for interns, particularly those who are unpaid, hasn\u2019t kept pace with this rapidly emerging workforce.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why we\u2019re turning our eyes to internships in the U.S.<\/p>\n
In April 2010, the Department of Labor released a six-point test to help determine whether an internship in the for-profit sector qualifies to be unpaid under federal law. One of the key criteria is that the position must be of more benefit to the intern than of benefit to the company. Companies can\u2019t just use interns to replace regular employees.<\/p>\n
The Department of Labor may examine internships during investigations of an employer\u2019s compliance with wage standards and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to a spokesperson.<\/p>\n
But Dr. Philip Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, says the government\u2019s enforcement efforts have been passive.<\/p>\n